Gracie has just finished her freshman year of college in Memphis when she takes a job at a local pizza joint in her home town of McKenzie, Tennessee. She is the epitome of innocence when she meets Noah. Noah is unabashedly handsome, intriguingly reckless and just cocky enough to be sexy. Gracie’s instincts tell her to stay far away from him and based on the stories she hears from her co-workers he leaves broken hearts in his wake. But still, she can’t explain her fascination with him.
Noah puts aside his bad boy ways when what he thought was a summer crush has him unexpectedly falling in love. But soon after Gracie transfers to UT Knoxville to be with Noah, their unexpected love becomes riddled with anger, deceit and humiliation.
Jake, Noah’s former roommate and Gracie’s best friend, can no longer be a bystander. Gracie’s world falls out from beneath her and when she breaks she turns to Jake for strength. As Jake talks her through a decision she’s not yet strong enough to make, together they uncover a truth so ugly neither of them is prepared for its fallout. Will Jake pull her to the surface or is Gracie Jordan finally In Too Deep?

In Too Deep is a very emotional read. Gracie is a good girl, or used to be before she started dating her womanizer of a boyfriend, Noah. While she did annoy and confuse me at times I still felt for the main character through all her pain. Even if I wanted to shake her a little at times.

When Gracie first got with Noah he was a sweetheart, changing his rebel ways to be with her. As time wears on and he beings to pledge into Sigma Chi things take a drastic turn for the worst. While he isn't psychically abusive to Gracie his is obviously controlling her, abusing her emotionally, which can sometimes do more damage than a slap or punch. Noah has her so wound up and confused that she's convinced she's doing something wrong, that she isn't good enough for any other man.

I like watching her slowly gain the strength to leave him, though it did upset my a little when she kept craving him and straying back when another man clearly loved her! Speaking of that man.. he seemed like a total heartthrob. I would date him if I were Gracie in a nanosecond. He seemed that hot, caring and truly empathetic all the times she cries on his muscled shoulder..

Overall I enjoyed this new adult novel quite a bit. While I was frustrated at times, other parts of the story made up for it. An important look at dating abuse in young adults, In Too Deep is a must read.

Michelle Kemper Brownlow has been a storyteller her entire life. Her debut was on the high school cheerleading bus granting requests to re-tell her most embarrassing moments for a gaggle of hysterical squadmates.

Earning her Bachelor’s degree from Penn State University in Art Education and then marrying her very own “Jake,” she moved to Binghamton, NY where she taught high school. After having two children she quit work and finished her Master’s degree in Elementary Education at Binghamton University.

The Brownlow family of four moved to Michelle’s hometown of Morgantown, PA while the children were still quite young. A few years after moving, her family grew by one when they welcomed a baby into their home through the gift of adoption. The family still resides in PA, just miles from where that high school cheer bus was parked.

Michelle has been an artist for as long as she can remember, always choosing pencils and crayons over toys and puzzles. As a freelance illustrator, her simple characters play the starring roles in numerous emergent reader books published by Reading Reading Books.

“Writing is my way of making sense of the world. When I give my characters life on the pages I write, it frees up space in my mind to welcome in new stories that are begging to be told,” says Brownlow

2 comments:

Thank you so much for having me along my tour for IN TOO DEEP! I really enjoyed your review and hope you will keep your eyes peeled for...the sequel, WAY WAY MORE JAKE! <--that's not the title, but it could be! LOL! :)